More than 99% of higher education schools believe that artificial intelligence (AI) is instrumental to their institutions’ competitiveness in coming years. Not only does AI streamline administrative tasks and deliver data-driven, actionable insights, it can generate personalised learning pathways and improve student engagement.
As a teacher, you should view AI as an assistant – a tool to enhance (not replace) your expertise and guidance. There are plenty of opportunities to integrate AI in the classroom and optimise both your and students’ workflows. With such a vast selection of AI tools available, however, it’s important to select tools that facilitate your education goals and genuinely support students in their journey.
Tools to integrate AI in the classroom in the new school year
The start of a new year is a great moment to introduce new technology to your students, and ensure that your classroom AI is up to date. Below are some of the most impactful AI resources for 2024.
1. Kahoot!
Gamified quiz platform Kahoot! has been a teacher favourite for years, but its new AI update is a gamechanger. The AI question generator allows you to enter terms around any topic and receive a list of related questions. Students can also participate in friendly competitions and be encouraged to take greater autonomy in their progress.
In a geography class, for example, Kahoot! can make quizzes where students have to identify countries, capital cities, and landmarks from around the world. Its capacity for generating challenging quizzes will save you time, and the fun format keeps students motivated and engaged.
2. DuoLingo
One of the most popular AI language learning apps available is still a necessity for classrooms in 2024. The platform uses a Language Learning Model (LLM) to shape exercises that align with users’ strengths and weaknesses. DuoLingo’s new AI features include Explain My Answer – a chatbot that gives detailed feedback about whether a user’s response was correct or incorrect, and Roleplay – a chatbot where users can practise real-world conversations with different virtual characters.
In a foreign language class, teachers could ask students to use Roleplay to simulate having a job interview and practise more formal vocabulary and grammar.
3. Pear Deck
Pear Deck is an AI-driven platform which lets you design lessons, share content, and oversee students’ performance. Pear Deck recently announced its Explain feature, which leverages AI to provide students with a breakdown of activities and responses in real time, if they encounter difficulties when learning independently. This immediate feedback is essential to clarify misunderstandings and reinforce momentum in learning. It also frees up your time to focus on teaching content, rather than explaining instructions for activities.
In a history class, you could set up digital maps and timelines with Pear Deck and tell students to collaborate in groups to explore key events from the past.
4. Minecraft (education edition)
Microsoft’s Minecraft has a version specifically for schools that inspires students to build worlds with blocks and problem-solve in their virtual environments. Minecraft is great because it doesn’t just incorporate AI, it can teach students about AI too. It has a unit dedicated to coding, data collection, and helping students understand the difference between machines and humans, and it’s a fantastic way for students to build their STEM skills.
In a science class, Minecraft shows students how to construct ecosystems and consider how new structures affect existing habitats and natural processes.
5. DreamBox Learning
DreamBox Learning uses AI to offer personalised maths and literacy programmes to students. The tool adjusts in real-time according to students’ behaviours, as well as detects the rate at which students read, to convey information at the best pace for them.
In a maths setting, students can be given a shape on DreamBox Learning and have to use coordinates to plot the reflection of that shape on a map. You’ll be able to see the time the task took students, and how accurate their final shape is. The platform also stores this data and uses it to tailor instructions for the student moving forward.
6. MobyMax
MobyMax is an online suite of solutions for the classroom. It uses AI to develop adaptive curriculums for individuals, ensuring that all students have instructions and materials that fuel faster, deeper learning. The collection of tools also enables you to set up contests, document students’ mood and engagement in class, and assign tasks based on students’ ability.
When teaching a complex theory in chemistry, MobyMax tailors instructions to different students, allowing them to process the information more easily – and thus have a better chance of understanding the theory.
7. Scrible
An AI-powered research platform, Scrible enables students and teachers to form their own library of online articles and resources. Useful for older students, you can annotate articles directly in your browser, easily share annotated content with students and other teachers, and automatically generate bibliographies that adhere to your preferred style.
For a research project, you could tell students to use Scrible to source and reference available information. They could then show you what data is most credible and why, based on their analysis of the articles.
8. Nearpod
Nearpod is a comprehensive learning platform for interactive classes, videos, gamification, and more. Backed by AI, the platform enables you to differentiate, enrich, and provide extra support to students depending on data insights about their progress. Students can also take part in courses about AI with Nearpod, submitting quiz answers to accelerate their knowledge of the tech.
In an IT class, you can create a lesson plan with a poll, interactive board, and open-ended discussion forum to teach students about generative AI.
9. Fetchy
Fetchy is a personal assistant for teachers, using AI to simplify workloads and construct lesson plans that have clear structure and organisation. The range of tools from Fetchy enable teachers to create permission slips, develop strategies to manage challenging student behaviour, and to deliver effective feedback to students.
When drafting a lesson plan, you can input a simple brief and course level, and Fetchy will automatically generate a framework including a concept overview, lesson goals, list of activities, and more.
These are only a small selection of AI tools to welcome into the classroom in 2024. Remember to thoroughly research any new resources you choose to adopt (you could even do so with AI tools), and check that the tools cater to your preferences, and student targets.
Further reading
Read more about AI in the classroom, learn about how AI is impacting the world of education. and check out our glossary of AI terms for teachers.
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